Fertilizer attachment for seed-planters.



R. L. FORD. FERTILIZER ATTACHMENT-FOR SEED PLANTERS. APPLICATION FILEDSEPT. 13. l9l3.

1,21 1,836, v Patented Jan. 9, 1917.

Raz ohll Ford,

m: NNNN m5 FEYERS cm. punmuwa. WASHING mu. 0. c

' barren s'rArns Parana QFFIQE.

RALPH L. FORD, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR'TO INTERNATIONAL HARVESTERCORPORATION, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

FERTILIZER ATTACHMENT FOR SEED-PLANTERS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed September 13, 1913. Serial No. 789,701.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RALPH L. F 0RD, a citizen of the United States,residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Fertilizer Attachmentsfor- Seed-Planters, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactspecification.

My invention relates to fertilizer attachments for seeduplanters.

In the operation of devices of this class it is found in practice thatfertilizer, because of its viscous nature, adheres to the parts of thecontainer and discharge spout, and particularly to the outlet valve,with such tenacity that the parts of the devicesoon becomes clogged bythe mass of fertilizer formed thereon.

It is the object of my invention to overcome these objections inconnection with fertilizer attachmentsfor planters, and this Iaccomplish by the employment of an improved outlet valve and dischargespout connected together and operating in an improved manner topositively clean their walls of all adhering particles of fertilizerautomatically upon each operation of said parts. 7

One form which my invention may assume is exemplified in the followingdescription and illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, in which Figure1 shows a side elevation of a portion of a corn planter embodying myinvention; Fig. 2 shows a detail view taken on line 22 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3shows a side elevation of the valve employed in my device; Fig. shows aplan view of the same; Fig. 5 shows a vertical central sectional view ofmy improved discharge spout; F ig. 6 shows a plan view of the same.

For the purpose of illustration I have shown a planter frame 10 mountedupon carrying wheels 11 and provided with furrow openers 12, all ofordinary construction.

Generally speaking, the particular form of my improved fertilizerattachment shown herein comprises two fertilizer containers 13 and aconduit 14: for each of the containers leading to the rear lower end ofthe adjacent furrow opener, a movable discharge spout 15 communicatingwith the lower end of the conduit and a valve or closure 16 for each ofthe discharge spouts.

.Asboth fertilizer containers and coacting -parts are identicalinconstruction and operation, a description of one will suffice.

The container shown herein is of, a wellknown construction and isprovided within with a feed mechanism (not shown), which mechanism isoperated by a sprocket wheel 17 connected by a chain 18' to the axle l9of, thetcarrying wheels. The container is preferably detachably securedto the frame 10 by means ofa bracket 20. An outlet pipe 21 is providedforthe container and swingingly attached thereto, is the conduit 14;made up of a plurality of sections telescopically received one withinthe other so that a flexible construction is provided which, when all ofthe parts are in position, permits considerable movement of the furrowopeners relative to the frame 10.

The outlet valve 16 is rigidly secured to the furrow opener bywmeans ofa U-bolt 22, and said valve comprises a valve seat or bottom portion 23,upwardly extending side portions 24 and rearwardly extending topportions 25. J ournaled within the top portion of the valve is thedischarge spout 15, which spout is of a size and shape to receive withinit the lowerend of the conduit let and at its lower end to contact withthe bottom portion 23'of the valve in a manner sufficientlyengaging toeffectually close its end. Onthe forward upper end of the spout is anoutstanding lug 26, and a connecting rod 27 is pivoted thereto at oneend and at its other to a rigidly mounted arm 28 carried on thecheck-row shaft 29 of the planter.

It is, of course, understood that the shaft 29 controls the operation ofthe seed valves of the planter so that thereby a movement of thedischarge spout will be effected whenever the seed valves are opened todrop seed. This movement of the discharge spout will be to the rearsubstantially in the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. l, where theend of the spout will be disengaged from the valve 16 so that thefertilizer within will be free to drop to the ground. A limiting lug 30is .formed on the upper rear end of the valve 16 in position to strikethe discharge spout when said spout is moved to its open position. Therod 27 and arm 28 are arranged at obtuse angles to each other, so thatthe speed of the discharge spout is gradually diminished as it reachesits outer limit of movement, and thereby the spout,as

Patented Jan. 9, 1917.

it engages the limiting lug, remains stationary for a time suflicientlyenduring to insure the complete discharge of its contents. The movementimparted to the spout, however, is of a sufficiently forceful nature sothat when it strikes the limiting lug, a vibratory movement is impartedto its walls which serves to positively eject the charge of fertilizercontained within. Moreover, the swinging movement of the spout willoperate to scatter the fertilizer over a comparatively large space ofground, and thereby the necessity for special scattering means iseliminated. In practice it is found that it is detrimental to the seedto have the fertilizer come in direct contact therewith and, obviously,by having the discharge spout swing to the rear, as shown in my device,the fertilizer will be scatteredimmediately behind but not in contactwith the seed.

From the method of pivoting the discharge spout and the valve it will beseen that when the spout is swung rearwardly to discharge fertilizer, along sweeping engagement of the lower end of the spout with the surfaceof the valve portion 23 will take place, which acts as a brush topositively clean the valve of all adhering particles of fertilizer, andthereby the possibility of the parts becoming clogged is almost, if notentirely, eliminated. By placing the conduit 1a in a substantiallyvertical position, the

opportunities for the fertilizer to stick to the walls are greatlyminimized, for the reason that the fertilizer is never stationary in anypart thereof. It is in the lower part adjacent to the valve where thefertilizer is retained before being discharged that it becomes fastenedto the walls surrounding it.

Gopies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe 1. In a fertilizer attachment for planters, v

a container, a discharge spout for said container, a valve for saidspout fixed to the' furrow opener of the planter and provided withupwardly extending arms to pivotally receive said discharge spout, andmeans for operating said spout to engage and disengage said valve.

2. In a seed planter, a wheeled frame, furrow openers carried by saidframe, a fertilizer container carried on said frame, a conduit for saidcontainer, a discharge spout communicating with said conduit, a closurefor said spout secured to one of said furrow openers and provided withbearing portions to pivotally receive said spout, a limiting lug on saidclosure, and means operated by said planter to swing said spout awayfrom the closure and strike said limiting lug with av force sufficientto impart a vibratory movement to the walls of said spout.

In testimony whereof I aiiix my signature in the presence of twowitnesses.

RALPH L. FORD. Witnesses:

EVAN EVANS, HERBERT DEKKER.

Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. 0.

